Flying a Lancaster bomber at night

[@frederickmerle6412]

I am a Boeing 737 captain and it’s very hard work flying at night in cloud and bad weather. That’s on a modern Jet with all the modern kit. It’s truly incredible that men as young as 19 were flying around a blacked out Europe, at night, on rudimentary instruments, dead reckoning, in awful weather whilst being shot at for 6-7-8 hours at a time. The fear and stress must have been horrendous, yet they went on night after night. These were the real heroes, men that can admit they were scared to death yet did it anyway. An inspiration to us all.

[@blzbob7936]

Well said Fred. All combatants in wartime suffered stress. But to be up in a 3D world in the dark, knowing you could collide with another plane at any time during a mission must have been mental torture. Plus . . and this is something that many who fell didn't know . . the bombs from planes above them in the 'formation' often clattered through their aircraft. Nobody will ever know how many lives were lost because of this. The land forces were envious of the RAF, because the RAF got to go back to base after every mission and they were stuck on the front line, sometimes for years. But they didn't appreciate the resolve of aircrews - yes they got back to home soil - but they went back, knowing the risks and danger, night after night. A 'tour' was 30 trips. Some went back for a second tour. Allied aircrew had balls of steel. Just a shame their aircraft couldn't have been made of the same material.

[@edwardjones2202]

Great comment.

[@Bruce-1956]

Thank you men of Bomber Command.

[@deborahbrown5528]

Amazing modest generation

[@melanielester2106]

I cannot even begin to imagine what these chaps went through time after time. Absolute courage and not afraid to admit being scared. Full respect.

[@pup1008]

If you had to do that *ONCE* you'd probably never get in a plane again but these guys were doing that night after night! Hats off to you sir, we *DO* remember & appreciate immensely what you gave!

[@melanienagy6389]

Thank you for sharing your experience. These are stories we never her. 🇬🇧🇬🇧

[@pauljames3058]

What a hero 👏

[@notmenotme614]

I read an account from a Halifax bomber pilot. When the mission package returned to the UK in the early hours they found all the airfields fogged in. Some where running out of fuel and bailing out over the UK. Others tried to risk landing through the fog and as you can guess it didn’t end well. It’s sad that many survived flying combat missions over Germany only to clip a hill side or trees in fog. He luckily survived the landing in fog and could see other bombers fly low overhead and crash around him, mostly fatal. He said he then went to the mission debriefing room and saw 2 other crews there that he didn’t recognise, he thought the stupid idiots had landing at the wrong airfield in the fog…. Only to find out it was him who landed at the wrong one !

[@kenc9236]

Brave men. Thanks for sharing this video.

[@davidgreen2801]

Nothing like first class gen' from those who were there.

[@marktravis4697]

Hats off to you gentlmen doing this night after night.

[@kiwipinos]

My Grandfather DFC flying officer , bomb aimer, 2nd nav & H2S Operator from New Zealand flew 64 ops in 7th Pathfinders & 622 Main force, short Stirlings & Lancs, actually his longest op was over 9 hours to stettin. They were the Lucky Crew of PA-Oboe 964. Most operations they were master bomber or deputy bomber, first to mark targets & hang around over targets sometimes for over 20 minutes circling.

[@TheChrisrg]

Outstanding.

[@leeetchells609]

I suppose on the other hand the cloud protected them from enemy ground fire and fighter aircraft. Still must have been terrifying for those young lads . I really don't know how they did it.

[@auxiliary4023]

Another level from today.

[@Straker1923]

One of my old colleagues was a flight engineer on Lancs. He told me horror stories of bombing missions towards the end of the war when the Nazis started flying ME 262 jets to intercept the bomber streams. He said, as the jets went so fast, they caused minimal damage themselves, but the pilots in the bombers sometimes used to panic and roll into other bombers with catastrophic results...very scary!

[@stevehandy5381]

my dad was a flight sergeant rear gunner coastal command on a Lancaster only wish I could have asked him what it was like, thanks for the video

[@brendanwood2134]

Can I ask what squadron

[@stevehandy5381]

@@brendanwood2134 sorry don't know except that it was in 1947 and he went to Canada and jamaica

[@stevehandy5381]

also his name was Bernard Handy and came from bucknall stoke on trent

[@brendanwood2134]

@@stevehandy5381 Hi, my father was in the 49 Squadron seconded from RAAF in 1941 and based at Scampton. I wish the same as you.

[@stevehandy5381]

@@brendanwood2134 Hi Brendon how many missions did he fly is he the one in the video? I bet you are so proud of him.

[@jrbs]

Truely remarkable.

[@samsparks7303]

Unimaginable. We owe them a great debt.

[@cognitivedissonance4413]

How do you arrive at that?

[@kevinburns5762]

@@cognitivedissonance4413 what do you mean 'how do you arrive at that'? I hope you're joking

[@cognitivedissonance4413]

@@kevinburns5762 No joke. Can you answer the question then?

[@johnbeesley7273]

If those young men hadn't flown those missions, there wouldn't have been a D-Day to liberate Europe and we wouldn't have a democracy today. Bomber Command air crew were volunteer's. They volunteered to to fight an enemy that wanted to destroy our way of life. We owe them, and all those who helped win the war a debt that we can never repay.

[@gentlebabarian]

There mass murders, nothing more. Altought thye just did there duty. They still killed millions of women children and maybe disabled people who could not fight back.

[@terenceburchett6122]

The brutal reality. Todays generation haven't a clue what these hero's did routinely every night. So proud of my father who sat at the tail-end relying on all the crew and the Pilot in particular. If anyone ever said a word out of place about any member of the RAF including Harris, I would deck them!

[@avrolancaster4776]

Lancaster el mejor bombardero de la II Guerra Mundial.

[@MySkyranger]

I’m so sorry our pathetic politicians have allowed our wonderful country you fought and died for, to be taken over by an invading immigrant army without a shot being fired in defence. You war heroes deserve to see the wonderful mono culture you fought for still survive.

[@ulrichjackisch7637]

who cares now from a target 7 years old then

[@throttlegalsmagazineaustra7361]

You lost then, didn't you, cunt?